in front of me and just -- you know, passengers behind me, just loudly, did you purchase two seats? and i said, no, why would i purchase two seats? >> reporter: he says he was told his size might be offensive to other passengers and in the future would need to buy an additional seat. still, he was allowed to board the plane. >> i was mortified. i just -- i went and got in my seat and sat there silent. >> reporter: one man who did not remain so silent, actor/director kevin smith. a year ago this month smith was kicked off a southwest airlines flight because the airline determined he was too fat for one seat. as for the latest incident, southwest airlines released this statement. we were founded on the golden rule and we know our employees try each and every day to treat others the way they want to be treated. we deeply regret and apologize that we did not succeed in our interactions with mr. cristin. >> reporter: it requires a passenger to purchase a second seat if they cannot fit safely or comfortably into one or lower the armrest. >> i made sure, because he made it a point to tell me the armrest had to be down.

for me to sit in the seat. >> reporter: some passengers we spoke to say they agree with southwest's policy for larger customers. >> i've seen someone be uncomfortable before because someone sitting next to them was too big. >> reporter: still he says it could have been handled differently. >> i think their flight attendants need retraining. i think there's a more tactful way of talking to someone. >> reporter: as for future air travel, he says he won't be buying a ticket from southwest. abc news. well f you're feeling a cold coming on and plenty of us are this winter as it drags on, you may want to start taking zinc supplements. a new study find taken within 24 hours of the onset of a cold it can shorten that cold by at least a day and says you'll have less severe symptoms and that zinc can actually reduce your risk of getting a cold. we asked dr. richard besser about that. >> reporter: everyone's looking for a silver bullet when it comes to prevention. in theory it may prevent the

rhino virus from attaching to your nose and throat and prevent the virus from multiplying in your body. the theory is great. the study is not. they're not looking at any new data. they're looking at everything that's been published so far. some studies show it works but in in those studies some were taking a 10 milligram lozenge every hour they were awake. you have to weigh the benefits -- i mean, those problems against maybe a one-day shortening of your illness. >> that's dr. richard besser. remember, less than two years ago the fda did warn that nasal cold remedies containing zinc could permanently damage your sense of smell. so, maybe you are a new mom up with your newborn right now. you should know you are not alone. a new study shows women are 2 1/2 times more likely to get up in the middle of the night than men. mane reasons, carrying for family members and

breastfeeding. a lot of women didn't need this study to know this. >> no. we hope they're watching "world news now." another part of that same study looked at how drinking alcohol impacts your sleep. it found sleep disruptions are more likely in intoxicated women who were found to get 20 minutes fewer sleep after knocking back a few. ironically, though, guys, sleep disturbances were not observed in men. so, salute to that. >> they say they gave them enough men and women to drink that they didn't pass a breathalyzer. . did you really just say that? do you really want to go there? >> oh, lord. man, oh, man. show almost over. time for a drink. >> at least you'll sleep. >> here's a look at your weather. a fresh wintry blast buries the cascades and sierra range under 3 feet of snow. rain and heavy mountain snow hit montana, idaho and utah ut. a soaker from seattle to san francisco. the warm-up begins, thank you

lord, for the rest of the country. >> 54 in baltimore and nearly 60 in atlanta. 70s from dallas to miami. 64 in kansas city. 57 in omaha. 38 in detroit. albuquerque, 66. sacramento, 56. seattle is 47 degrees. well, they're an odd couple, even by hollywood standards, but the mere sight of them might just give you, well, some goose bumps. >> dominick was on his daily walk in a los angeles park when a goose named maria suddenly took a liking to him. she follows the 65-year-old retiree every day around the lake. never leaving his side. he even flying along his scooter as he leaves the park. he named maria, is that right? >> does it matter at this point? earl says he feeds all the birds at the park but none has ever stuck by him like a girl named maria. i don't know -- i don't know what to say about that story. i hope they're happy together. it's good. >> good for them.

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slowly improving, many families are still doing what they can to save money. in some homes that means slashing the grocery bill. >> one houston neighborhood is taking that a step further. they literally started a freezer meal exchange group. patricia lopez shows us how it works. >> i made marinated shishkabobs. >> i made chicken with wine. >> i made turkey lasagna roll-ups. >> i made chicken enchiladas. >> reporter: this group of moms brought their cooler with food. each mom has made one big meal. >> sometimes we're all the gun

any pigs with new recipes. >> reporter: all the individuals are individually prepackaged one per family in containers, ziploc bags and cooking directions attached. they are ready to pop into the freezer. >> we need to get started on our exchan exchange. >> reporter: the concept is simple, says brenda thompson. she set up this freezer exchange group with her friends and also blogs on her website called mealplanningmagic.com. >> the benefit to doing this is that you can shop sales and you can shop at wholesale clubs and save a lot of money that way. >> reporter: each entree feeds four people. depending on the recipe, costs $5 to $10 per family meal. >> you look at your monthly spending for groceries. it helps. >> reporter: so, how can you set up your own group? thompson says the maximum people per group should be no more than eight. >> just gets to be a lot of cooking and a lot of food and a lot of math. >> reporter: the minimum, two people. >> but, of course, you can decide if you want just two meals with a smaller group. >> reporter: then once a month,

you meet to exchange your meals. all the cooking is done individually so the actual exchange takes just a few minutes. it's why new mom stacy moss didn't want to miss out. >> this month i was going to sit out. i have a 3-week-old infant but with the meals, having them available. i didn't want to miss out. i thought, well, we'll have an afternoon of cooking, daddy helped out and we made it happen. >> reporter: the group says you want to take into consideration allergy concerns, dietary restrictions and, of course, taste in food. >> figure out if there's something people don't like or have a strong -- you know, if they want particularly health y you know, 90% lean beef versus, you know, 8 # 0%. things like that. >> reporter: for some moms, the best part, no messy kitchen. >> you can actually spend time with your kids and your husband. >> and, again, that website has great ideas. mealplanningmagic.com. you can find cool stuff there.

how to make a weekly meal planning and meal planning on a budget. >> if you're a mom and don't know what ideas are out there for toddler food, it has things for toddler food, for babies, for kids' lunches. that's an absolutely ingenious idea. kudos to them. coming up next, the wild animals checking out city life. >> threat from coyotes far from the wild.

welcome back, everybody. asyou've heard many times, it is

a jungle out there. turns out you don't have to go to the jungle to see it. some of you can just look out your living room window. >> more and more wild animals are encroaching on city neighborhoods, especially coyotes. they are not always harmless. here's jeremy hubbard. >> reporter: they now lurk in the concrete jungles and cull a cul-de-sacs we call home. this one rescued from the frozen waters of nearby lake michigan. coyotes, once the predators of the plains, have now moved into our neighborhoods. 2,000 of them living in and around the city of chicago by some estimates. every major u.s. city has them, l.a. to boston to the biggest concrete jungle of all, new york city. >> i think it's safe to say that there are literally millions of people living within a few yards or a few hundred yards of coyotes on a pretty regular basis. >> reporter: he tracks the

ghost-like creatures. he spent the last decade tracking and collaring 500 urban coyotes in chicago. >> there may be more. >> reporter: in all his years, in all his encounters, they've been docile, a little more than a nuisance, at least he thought so. until he investigated what happened to taylor mitchell, a 19-year-old folk singer and a rising star in canada. ♪ >> reporter: this young woman single-handedly turned everything scientists know about coyotes upside down. she's the only adult human on record to have been killed by a coyote. her body discovered on this nature trail in canada's national park in 2009 with massive bite wounds covering her legs and head. when a group came by minutes later, a lone coyote was still over her body. >> it made eye contact with us. and just stood over, as if it wasn't going anywhere, as if it was protecting its meal, i

guess. >> reporter: he came to canada to ip investigate the teenager's death. he hasn't seen before but he has seen a pattern with coyotes. they're increasingly and fearlessly encroaching on humans. normally it's harmless. just last week a woman in fargo, north dakota, captured this coyote killing a deer in her backyard. but people are starting to bear the scars. three to five people are attacked in the u.s. every year. is ancient coyote behavior involving in front of us? over the last century they've been on the move, spreading out in every direction. when wolves, their normal enemies, became their romantic partners, that may have been the start of the problem. >> they came into contact with our remnant population of eastern wolves and interbred. all the coyotes that went on to colonyize the northeastern united states and eastern canada carried with them some wolf dna they picked up here if southern ontario. >> reporter: the result, a

hybrid coyote, larger, less intimidated, fearless animal with attitude, like the pack that killed taylor. when animals are that unencumbered, it's a sign they've grown too familiar, too comfortable with humans, which could explain why they attacked this teen. >> they're constantly testing. they're seeing what they can get away with. we know they follow the paths of least resistance and they follow where we walk. we're creating places where there can be natural interaction between coyotes and people. >> reporter: with millions of us living next door to these creatures, that interaction is something the doctor will be keeping an eye on after watching the shock of this docile creature turn deadly. jeremy hubbard in washington. >> wow. in oregon there have been ten cases recently of coyotes, or coyote, as jeremy says, where they have tested positive for rabys. the reality is sneaki ining up neighborhood with rabies isn't a

good thing. >> you have to be careful. >> "killed by coyotes" airs this friday the 18th on the national geographic channel. banking incentive is getting a little personal. >> would you want your banker watching your weight? . sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal.

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here would you go next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last.

call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. >> announcer: "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." well, in seoul, south korea, they have an interesting way to give customers more money in their bank account. according to reuters, they say if you can slim down -- the more calories you burn, the higher interest rate the bank will give on you a savings account. >> whoa, really? >> they've given it a name. it's called the s-line because in korea there's an obsession with an hourglass figure. they say if a customer loses more than 5% of their weight within a year, or just even has a gym membership, the bank will

give them special rates. believe it or not, it's actually working. they've been doing it since 2008. they say they've awarded something close to $400 million for the 50,000 customers who have said, let me go ahead and do this. it's a great idea. also, because people are slimming down. >> no kidding. how do they monitor? you have to bring proof from a doctor -- >> doesn't say how they monitor this. perhaps they make you step on a scale. it doesn't mention how they monitor. a 32-year-old car designer wanted to bet my bank's savings i could lose weight and he did. >> i need to move to seoul. >> so close and all. >> yeah, really. this is a really cool story. a little boy -- this comes from tennessee in the newspaper, obviously n tennessee. this little boy luke robinson had open heart surgery five days after his birth and then was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. awful store. he's beat it, the great news. one of his ideas here was to create a comic book character.

so, two years ago -- whafrs the group called? >> make a wish. >> make-a-wish foundation, middle tennessee, came up here to new york and toured marvel comic studios. guess what? two years later, today his comic book is coming out, the comic book comes out today. all of these characters, they fight off the evil virus and will be handed to kids in hospitals in tennessee to give them inspiration to beat the disease. good job for marvel for printing this comic book and bringing his characters to life. god bless little luke. >> it's amazing what make-a-wish grant for these kids. >> and this was his dream. well, move over, mauery povich, dwayne reed is edging out your business. about to be the first place in new york where you can buy a dna test kit. they're $29.99. they say total costs it's about $300. it will be processed at walk-in

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this morning on "world news now" -- airline action. united's fleet of boeing 757 jets are temporarily grounded. >> the impact on passengers as the airline ordered emergency maintenance for nearly 100 planes. it's wednesday, february 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." some electrical problems for united causing a lot of problems for passengers. >> rough month for the airline industry overall. >> i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson.

passengers can expect delays and cancellations as united checks for some computer glitches, as you just heard. why some frequent flyers are angry, as you can imagine, about the sudden move. also ahead, cbs news correspondent lara logan's brutal assault while covering the unrest in egypt for "60 minutes" and the frightening remarks she made just days before the attack. she is now out of the hospital, recovering at home. so many thoughts and prayers with her. >> absolutely. and later, on a much lighter note, if you ever wanted to drive a bulldozer or excavator, who hasn't -- well, here is your chance. a very cool story coming up in a few. first passengers on united airlines could face travel delays today after the company grounded its fleet of 757 aircraft. >> the planes need an addition appear safety inspection following the update of air data computers. john garcia of our chicago station wls has the details. >> reporter: even as some united planes arrive at o'hare, it is unclear how soon they will be back in the air. the airline is having to

scramble at the last minute, while they try to service much of their fleet of 757s. for travelers like mary davis who's taking her kids to orlando, it's a huge headache. >> it is an inconvenience in that my husband will be waiting for us, because he's already down there for work. and i'm not sure how we're going to get there now. >> reporter: sources tell abc news, united discovered the problem in one plane and quickly determined they had to fix nearly 100 757s. in order to comply wit the government-regulated air worthiness directive, they need to modify the air data computer system. that involves installing some new circuit breakers and relays as well as making some wiring changes. the work takes about an hour to an hour and a half for each plane. the faa did not require the airline to do this. united is voluntarily doing the maintenance. united says only domestic flights are affected but many passengers say united never told

them what's going on. >> it's nerve-racking on the parents. i'm a nervous wreck already with a daughter go to new zealand and then, you know, the tough with the plane. makes you wonder what's going on with the planes. >> if there was a problem, they should have had a backup plan. >> reporter: an airline spokesperson confirms united discovered this problem during routine maintenance checks tuesday afternoon. they say they expect to have all of the repairs completed by wednesday afternoon. at o'hare airport in chicago, john garcia for abc news. u.s. and mexican officials are investigating a deadly attack on two american law enforcement agents. this it happened along a highway in northern mexico where the agents were driving. they were stopped at a roadblock when gunmen open fire, killing one agent and wounding another. mexican drug cartels are expected but officials say they have no motive for the attack. turning now to egypt and that brutal attack on a network correspondent. lara logan of cbs is now recovering at home after being sexually assaulted and beaten in cairo last friday.

before this latest incident, she told charlie rose how she had been detained a week earlier and even accused of being a spy. >> there was no question after what we were subjected to that he they were not safe and we were now targeted. one of the most dangerous accusations you can have leveled at you is that you're a spy or an agent for a foreign government. that is the kind of accusation against which you have no defense and which can easily get you killed. you better take it seriously. and you better at the very least take a step back from that and think about how you're going to do this. >> cbs said that after the assault, logan was eventually rescued by a group of women and about 20 egyptian soldiers. she reconnected with her production team and then flew home the next day. bernie madoff is pointing fingers in his first interview since the collapse of his ponzi scheme. he tells "the new york times" many banks and hedge funds were, quote, complicit in his scheme and hes they had a willful blind

list between discrepancies between his regulatory filings and other available information. he also claims his family didn't know about his ponzi scheme. well, your next trip to the mall or grocery store could take a bigger bite out of the budget. changing weather patterns, floods and droughts around the world, are affecting prices right here at home. david wright rings up the details. >> reporter: those distant ka lanl calamities are having an impact on prices at home. droughts in china, a heat wave in russia, near biblical floods in australia have sent wheat prices soaring, 67% over last year. here in the u.s., floods in the midwest mean corn prices have jumped, nearly 60% in a year. >> we've had extremely strange weather patterns the world over where many crops have been destroyed and we've actually seen a hit to the supply of food available. >> reporter: at the grocery store that doesn't just mean higher prices for cornflakes and wheaties. it also drives up prices for

pork, beef and poultry. because the main thing farmers feed them is corn. worldwide food prices are now up a staggering 29%. the world bank warns global food prices have now hit dangerous levels. and it's not just food. those natural disasters have also sent cotton prices through the roof. the cost of a $12 t-shirt is liable to go up at least two bucks this year. hanes underwear could rise as much as 30%. a pair of levi's 501 is expected to jump $4 because the price of cotton is now at a 15-year high. a year ago rou cotton costs 55 cents a pound. today it's $1.80, three times the price. >> everything's going up right now. so, we're pretty much limited in our -- what we can afford. >> reporter: retail analysts say even though worldwide supplies are down for all sorts of

commodities, consumption is high because there are so many consumers in china. >> as new spring hits the store, look for retailers to try to raise prices as much as 10%. >> reporter: retailers have known for months they would likely be facing price increases but many have held the line for as long as possible because they're still struggling to recover from the recession. now they'll have to charge higher prices knowing that consumers may be buying less. david wright, abc news, los angeles. a federal government shutdown is looming unless congress and the president can work out a compromise on the budget. republican lawmakers in the house are pushing for a $61 billion in cut to the current year's budget. president obama says those kind of cut will endanger the recovery and he's threatening to veto the bill. a standoff could lead to the government running out of money by the first week in march. now to the nation's highest civilian honor awarded to 15 amazing people from all walks of life. >> the recipients of this year's presidential medal of freedom

ranges from a poet to past president recognized for significant contribution to world peace, culture and other major endeavors. karen travers joining us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. president obama said that the 15 medal of freedom winners represent the best of who we are and who we aspire to be. this year's medal of freedom winners come from different backgrounds, experiences and generations. but president obama said they all share one important thing -- >> this year's medal of freedom recipients reveal the best of who we are and who we aspire to be. >> reporter: the president honored a civil rights legend. >> my parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of john lewis will come to mind. >> reporter: a survivor of the holocaust. >> she has taught the world that is often in our most hopeless moments that we discover the extent of our strength and the depth of our love. >> reporter: a former president. >> his humility and decency

reflects the very best of the american spirit. >> reporter: and st. louis cardinal great stan musial, the first big leaguer to make six figures. >> even more shocking, he asked for a pay cut when he didn't perform up to his own expectations. >> reporter: there were emotional moments as mr. obama described the extraordinary life of poet maya angelou. >> she has inspired countless others. >> reporter: and a few light-hearted moments as well. president obama pointed out for all the money warren buffett has made in his lifetime, he's just as well known for giving back to others and his modesty. >> i should point out, he's so thrift y hi to give him a white house tie. the last time he came here to visit. >> reporter: the president said this is an event he looks forward to each year. a chance to meet with and honor extraordinary people. rob and vinita? a florida family is blaming paramedics for the death of their father who was pronounced

dead when he wasn't. 70-year-old leroy tavber collapsed at his home and emergency responders performed cpr but declared him dead 30 minutes later. but when the mortician arrived, he started moving. he was rushed to the hospital where he died four days later, but his family says if he had been taken to the hospital immediately, he would still be alive. all authorities can say is they are looking into the case. >> smell lawsuit on that one or what? wow. wednesday weather. rain from seattle down to san francisco. up to 3 feet of snow in the cascades and sierra range. rain and heavy mountain snow across utah, idaho and montana. dry for the rest of the country. warming up from the plains to the east coast. >> 47 here in new york. 41 in boston. 70s from dallas to miami. 64 in kansas city. 44 in chicago. phoenix is 75 degrees. sacramento, 56. portland is 46 degrees. he was the star of the show but wasn't even allowed to be there. we're talking about the new panda at the zoo in atlanta who finally got a name yesterday. >> actor jack black was there to

do the honors, announcing to the crowd that the 100-day-old pa a panda's name is po. >> he wasn't there because he's still in isolation with his momma. he's lucky to make his public debut this spring after he learns to walk. >> i can't the way for "kung fu panda 2." i will see it.

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that is none other than grand champion fox cliff hickory wind, hickory for short. he was named best in show last night at the 135th westminster kennel club dog show. >> the scottish deerhound is a 5-year veteran of dog shows with 14 other best in show awards under her collar. here's linsey davis with more on hickory's big night as well as the westminster dog show by the numbers. >> reporter: 135, that's the

number of years xet ty canines have duked it out at westminster dog show. 2,622, the number of dogs in dogged pursuit this year of the best in show moniker. 179 breeds enter the ring this year, including six new byes. welcome icelandic sheep dog, good to have you coonhound. best odds, 7 to 1 for the peek niece and 6 to 1 for the smooth terrier. terriers are used to leading the pack, 45 wins. 2010's winner, a scottish terer. sadie, aka, the scottie hotty. good thing age is only a number. in 2009 a sussex spaniel named stump became the oldest dog to win best in show. grandpa clocked in at ten years, two months and nine days old. think of that in dog years. in 2008 uno, a beagle, was the

first westminster winner to be invited to the white house. ring the opening bell at nasdaq and retrieve the first pitch at a major league baseball game. uno stayed in room 2 # 13 at the hotel pennsylvania. 800 dogs are making this hotel their dog house this week. and on its lower level, it's a prince pooching palace known as the s'paw. number of doingy treadmill, three. price for an hour massage, 20 bucks. doggy psychic session, $1 buck. entry fee, $75. the prize money earned for winning best in show, zero. but being crowned with the highest honor in canine world, priceless. >> best in show is the deerhound. >> reporter: just ask tonight's winner. a scott esh deerhound named hickory. >> wow, what a wonderful win.

>> reporter: knows the only number that really counts is number one. i'm linsey davis in new york. >> you saw me cringe as we went into that story. it was because i am clearly sexist. i assumed it was a boy dog. it is, in fact, a female. congratulations, hickory, and good luck for next year. >> you corrected yourself very nice. equal opportunity here. the state of virginia is very proud. the dog comes from warrenton, virginia. congrats. when we come back, more exciting news, a chance to pretend you're a construction worker. >> many kids want to drive a bulldozer or dump truck and now grown-ups are getting in on the fun. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

have you ever worked by a construction site and thought about getting behind the wheel of a bulldozer or excavator? then this is your story. >> it is about a park in

sarasota, florida, that's become a sandbox for adults. clark foraker has more. >> for me, i think somebody just learning, use your hands -- colleen calls herself a hard hat granny. she's wanted to drive an excavator for as long as she can remember. >> so, out is open and in is closed. >> reporter: now a business in florida is giving her a chan. people at play has built a big kid play ground where excavators and bulldozers rule and where anybody can get behind the wheel, to license required. >> these people are looking to do something completely out of the norm. we teach them the safety requirements. we teach them what they're going to be doing. >> reporter: then the ultimate test. an obstacle course where participate ans school, push, even bowl. sometimes with great success. and sometimes not. i'm on the challenge course and they tell me this is the easiest move, trying push this tire into the parking spot. it's pretty tough trying figure

out how to operate this thing but a whole lot of fun. jason and alisa also own a site contracting company and use heavy equipment all the time. one day they decided to share the fun with industry peers. >> we brought a group out to our shop, had a cookout. we decided to put them on a couple pieces of equipment. they had the afternoon of their lives. we realized we were on to something. >> reporter: less than a year old the business may be on to other cities. it's not cheap. you can drop between $200 and $800. but for now -- >> we'll knock this yellow thing over. >> reporter: -- they're focus on getting colleen through the course. >> i didn't take the tree out. i was sure i was going to take the tree out. >> reporter: 47.52. her time isn't a record-breaker but respectable. >> pretty good, huh? am i hired or what? >> reporter: maybe another day of practice would be good. for abc news on campus, clark foraker, sarasota, florida. >> for all you hopeless romantics out there, they are offering a valentine's day

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for your free information kit today. the risk is real. take the next step. call today. ♪ finally in the second round of "jeopardy!" it was man versus machine. who won? machine kicked our butts. >> it was rough. watson, the computer, got 25 questions right while human champs, ken jennings and brad rutter, only got a total of five right. how does watson do it? here's david muir. >> let's take alternate meanings

for 200. >> reporter: call it man versus machine. superstar contestants against the super computer. watson was off and running. >> losing to him by 0.1 second. watson? >> who is michael phelps. >> go again. >> correct. >> reporter: and today when we saw what makes watson tick, he's loaded with a world of data. ten refrigerator size racks of servers. when he delivers that clue to humans, a text is sent to watson who searches his hard drives for the answer. a long ways since that first computer with the hard drive in the '60s skoo store about one manhattan phone book. watson can now hold 12 million of them. in the '80s ibm's burst pc could understand 5,000 word. watson, 125 billion. sometimes that data misses the human subtlety. >> stylish elegance or students who graduated in the same year. watson. >> what is cheek.

>> no, sorry. >> reporter: cha is class. >> you got it rr the mere moerlgt g. >> reporter: the mere mortal got it right. the man who helped build him. >> watson got the answer but slower. and couldn't buzz in fast enough to -- >> reporter: what are you saying behind the scenes? come on? >> well, of course. >> let's meet our contestants. >> reporter: brad rutter, who won the most money ever on "jeopardy!" now tied with watson. when you first saw that a super computer opened up that lead, what were you thinking? >> i was thinking, wow, okay. this thing's pretty good. >> reporter: viewers might be asking, what does the future hold after watching a super computer like watson take on two champion contestants? scientists will tell you that even though watson can handle 80 trillion instructions per second, that the human brain is still capable of far more. take that, watson. david muir -- along with watson, abc news, new york. >> that was clever. >> i wonder why they built this technology. they say they want to read it

for areas that need a lot of data analysis, health care, government, and so it will go to more -- >> and he got to the buzzer a more -- >> and he got to the buzzer a lot faster [ jet plane passing ] [ swings squeaking ] [ squeaking ]] [ creaking ] [ rock music playing ] from exploring eope to conquering x-camp... girl scouts today offers so many incrcredible opportunities, the only problem you'll have is deciding what to do. so... ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, whoo! ♪

this morning on "world news now" -- grounded. united airlines takes nearly 100 jets out of service for emergency maintenance. >> the sudden move, why it was so important and today's hassles for passengers. it's wednesday, february 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." in the midst of this already rough winter, more headaches at the airport. just can't catch a break. good morning, i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm vinita nair. we hate being the bearers of bad news but if you were scheduled to fly on one of united's boeing 757 jets today, it could be a very long day.

we will explain the airline's decision and, of course, the trickle down impact for all that airport traffic. >> another rough one. also ahead this morning, the bombshell of a scandal out in italy involving the controversial premier and underage prostitute and now an indictment. a really messy scandal out there. it's raised a lot of interesting kind of gender issues and male/female issues in italy. interesting story. >> berlusconi's name is consistently in headlines on this topic as well. >> yep. also -- and this is one we haven't had in a while -- a cleptomaniac cat who cannot stop stealing stuff from the neighbors. even though he's caught in the act. the neighbors still like him and think he's cool. >> a life of crime, you go for it. united airlines passengers could face delays or canceled flights today because of emergency maintenance on the company's fleet of 757 jets. >> the planes are being pulled out of service for more than an hour while inspectors take a look. lisa stark has more from washington. >> reporter: the problem is with

united airlines' boeing 757s, 96 planes in all. in 2004 the faa began requiring airlines to upgrade one of the key flight computers on the jet. apparently united did the upgrades, involving new wiring, circuit breakers and other components but then united failed to run all of the compliance checks to make sure those upgrades were done correctly. when the airline figured it out, it had little choice but to take immediate action. >> if there was a problem they should have had a backup plans. or something along that lines. >> it's very nerve-racking on the parents. i'm a nervous wreck already having a daughter go to new zealand and then the stuff with the plane, makes you wonder what's going on with the planes. >> reporter: united insists it is not technically grounding its 757s but it will cycle every s single one of the jets through a maintenance check to ensure these key computer changes were done correctly. what does all this mean for passengers? well, if you're booked on one of these united 757s there's a good

chance your flight will be delayed and possibly even canceled. >> it is an inconvenience in that my husband will be waiting for us, because he's already down there for work. and i'm not sure how we're going to get there now. >> reporter: the checks take up to an hour and a half for every aircraft. lisa stark, abc news, washington. u.s. and mexican investigators say there is no motive for a deadly attack on two american law enforcement agents. they were driving along a highway in northern mexico when they were stopped at a roadblock. that is when gunmen who may have had a connection to mexico's drug cartel open fire. the obama administration condemned the attack. the federal government could literally run out of money and shut down within weeks if the congress and president can't agree on a budget for the year that's already under way. >> and fighting over cuts in next year's budget. john hendren joins us from washington with more. >> reporter: good morning. this is the first major he showdown of the new congress and

so far neither side is blinking. it's a high stakes game of budget chicken. on one side president obama. >> let's use a scalpel. let's not use a machete. >> reporter: on the other side, republicans who want deeper cuts. many of them using the same talking points. >> he punted. >> he just punted. >> he punted. >> reporter: the president issued a veto threat on a house republican bill he says cuts too much. it came hours after he called for cooperation on the budget. >> this is a matter of everybody having a serious conversation about where we want to go and then ultimately getting in that boat at the same time so it doesn't tip over. >> i've been inviting the president to have that conversation since he took office two years ago. >> reporter: on capitol hill it's become the first major confrontation with the new congress with newly empowered republicans. >> over the last two years since president obama has taken office, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs. and if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it.

>> maybe so be it for him but not so be it for the people losing their jobs. >> reporter: republicans say they would drop the president's plans to boost spending on research and development, education and transportation and they put budget director jack lew on the hot seat. >> why did you duck? why are you not taking this opportunity to lead? >> reporter: entitlement programs like medicaid, medicare and social security eat up 57% of the budget and national security and interest on the debt. neither side seems willing to tackle any of those issues yet. rob and vinita? in his first interview since the collapse of his ponzi scheme, bernie madoff insists his family did not know about the whole thing. madoff tell's today's "new york times" that numerous banks and hedge funds were complicit in the scheme. he claims the attitude of those unnamed constitutions was, quote if you're doing something wrong, we don't want to know about it. >> the plot thickens. overseas now where italy's leader is now facing a trial on sex charges in april. prosecutors say silvia

berlusconi paid an underage girl for sex and then tried to cover it up. >> italians in general have been forgiving of berlusconi's behavior but now millions of italian women are putting the pressure on. t.j. winick with more details. >> reporter: it is not against the law in italy to hire a prostitute, but prosecutors in the predominantly catholic country now say the prime minister's behavior has finally crossed the line. even for a 74-year-old billionaire politician who has weathered several legal battles, this will be the toughest of berlusconi's career. he will stand trial for allegedly paying an underage prostitute for sex and then abusing his power by getting police to release the teenager on an unrelated theft charge. it is all a setup to frame him, this italian says, but sunday thousands of italian women rallied across europe to protest berlusconi saying his behavior is an insult to all women.

>> because there is a sense of disgust, i think this is the right word. there is a sense of saturation and disgust. >> reporter: berlusconi is no stranger to scandal. he's been accused of hosting orgies. and appointing former lovers to his cabinet. four years ago the prime minister's wife left her husband after he was caught flirting with a former showgirl. even the pope indirectly xhened on the latest scandal, saying leaders must offer a strong moral example. the prime minister denies the allegations insisting they're politically motivated. the trial, which begins april 6th, will skip the preliminary hearing stage. the woman at the center of this scandal nicknamed ruby was 17 at the time, but denies having sex with the italian leader. berlusconi admits calling police but says he thought she was the granddaughter of the egyptian prime minister. he still has the political backing of his coalition partners, for now. the trial will be held by a panel of three judges, all of them women. if convicted berlusconi faces up to 15 years in prison.

rob and vinita? a police chase in irving, texas, ended in dramatic fashion and amazingly no one was hurt. a driver believed to be drunk was going the wrong way on a busy freeway sending cars swerving to avoid a head-on collision. one officer decided to do just the opposite, crashing a patrol car right into the wayward car. no one was hurt and the driver was arrested. just in the knick of time a north carolina couple has come forward to claim a $1 million mega millions lottery prize. their ticket was sold at a gas station last august and they had until 5:00 this afternoon to claim their jackpot. the husband says he waited for his wife to have a bad day before telling her their good for tune. nice move, dude. while they waited, he briefly lost the ticket but it was obviously recovered just in time. the winners also say they felt nervous, though, about claiming the big prize. that north carolina couple, $1 million richer. here's a look at your wednesday weather.

another stormy day for the west coast, rainy from northern california up to the pacific northwest. up to 3 feet of snow in the sierra range and cascades and up to 2 feet of snow for central and northern rockies. 50s in billings and boise. 62 in salt lake city. nearly 40 in twin cities. 57 in omaha. 51 in indianapolis. dallas climbs to 72. and atlanta, 59. 54 in baltd mother. 47 here in new york. she has a penchant for pursuing rabbit deers but she's wrapping her clutches around the doggy world biggest prize. >> hickory, scottish deerhound, first of her breed to claim the prestigious title. she came from a virginia farm to beat hundreds of fluffy favorites and loveable lap dpog. >> a portuguese water dog also made it to the finals. >> congrats to her. more "world news now" coming up. ♪ never doubt that you're the one and you can have your dream ♪ ♪

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welcome back. and now to an ey welcome back. and now to an eye-opening investigation that involves hundreds of american children who have been stolen from their fathers and taken halfway around the world to japan. >> the culprit in these alleged kidnappings, the children's own mothers. as abby boudreau reports, there's nothing fathers can do to get them back. >> reporter: in a country half a world away, young children taken by their mothers. american children who have been cut off from their fathers. >> i miss her sleeping on my chest. she used to lay down on my chest and fall asleep. >> i can still smell his hair and remember what it's like to kiss him on the neck and carry him to school. >> the things like if someone died. the problem is he's not dead. he's alive somewhere in japan.

and i can't see him. >> reporter: there are 321 american children who have been spirited off to japan since 1994. how many of you have court-ordered custody of your children? how many of you actually get to see your children whenever you want to see them? none of you. >> i haven't seen a picture in two years. the only time i get to see my kids is when i dream about them. >> reporter: what is it about japan? japanese laws based on centuries of tradition favoring the mother. in japan there's no such thing as joint custody and fathers often fade into the background. japan has refused to sign the international treaty under which nations agree to return abducted children. michael elias, a former marine, thought he had the perfect family. >> say cheese. >> wow. >> reporter: elias first met may

y mayumi when he was stationed in japan. they got married in the u.s. he was later deployed to iraq where he suffered a traumatic brain injury from oon ied blast. after he came home to his family, mayumi took their two children and fled to japan. >> i tried to stay downstairs. as you can tell, i never come in here. never. i can't be in here. >> reporter: he shows us dresses jade has surely outgrown by now. >> it still has stains on it and everything. just leave everything the way it was. >> reporter: for these fathers, and hundreds like them, they say they're doing everything they can to see their children. michael elias couldn't continue. >> it's too much. i'm done. >> reporter: why don't we -- you want to take -- >> a break. >> yeah, i'm done. >> reporter: his mother, nancy, shared an audio recording from one of the last times she heard her granddaughter's voice. >> hello, jade? >> i miss you.

>> oh, grandma loves you so much and grandma misses you every day. >> okay. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. bye-bye. >> reporter: abby boudreau, abc news, washington. >> it's such an interesting topic so rarely covered. abby will be on "world news" with a follow-up to the investigation. she'll be in japan as well. >> feel bad for those fathers. we'll see how it works out in part two. coming up next in lighter news, billy ray cyrus explains what ruined his relationship with his daughter miley. a star of "modern family" who admits she feels naked without any makeup. stay tuned for "the skinny."

♪ skinny so skinny ♪ welcome back, everybody. billy ray cyrus has given a fascinating interview to "gq" magazine saying hannah montana quote, destroyed his family. miley cyrus, blames all his daughter's problems and family problems on her fame. he says, quote, the damn show destroyed my family he says all the people around her got in the way of what should have been his parenting toward her.

she's been in all kind of troubles. she was smoking the drugs on tape, some racy photos, pole dancing. he compares her to anna nicole smith saying, you can see that train wreck coming. he goes a little far and says he feels his family's under attack by satan. he goes really far in this interview and just blames the fame on destroying his family. he says he really is scared for her and because of all the fame and people around her, he couldn't get to her and properly parent her. kind of sad there. he's opening his heart there. >> that's got to be hard for any person to hear that from your father, you're headed for a big fall. my heart breaks for her that that wasn't more private. >> why take it to a magazine? she's still your daughter. go and have the chat. let's hope she gets back on the right track. here's an interesting one. a lot of people would agree with "shape" magazine saying sofia vergara from "modern family" is by far the sexiest woman in hollywood. >> by far. >> she's on the cover.

she's a little self-conscious. in the article she says she never leaves the house without makeup. she's concerned about primping her face before she leaves the house. if i walk outside without lipstick, i feel naked. now, i don't think there's anything wrong with this photo. she's stunning in both. that's what she looks like without makeup. she goes on to say one of the other things she's conscious of is her body and figure. she says it's not easy to look like that. she does frequent workout sessions with a famous trainer named gunner peterson. she does latin dancing for exercise. when she wants to shed pounds she does a delivery service called freshology. she says most of her life she was picked on for being so skinny and top-heavy she said she had to learn to love her body and realize she's always going to look a certain way. she says to all those women trying to be pin thin, she feels as you get older, it's more attractive to have a little chub in your face. >> i think j. lo kicked off that era where there's a different appreciation for voluptuous woman. she's a beautiful, sexy, well-figured woman. so god bless.

obviously, the makeup -- without makeup picture was a little -- it's always a little surprising. but she's gorgeous. >> i hate people there's no makeup pictures. >> she's gorgeous. i think she's fascinating. even willis doesn't care. last up here, frankie muniz from "malcolm in the middle," he's 25 years old now. a very weird story. apparently he and his girlfriend got in a fight at his home in phoenix a few days before valentine's day and things apparently got so heated there were reports of some physical altercations and they had to call the cops in. apparently during one point, according to the police report, he literally put a gun to his head during an argument. she was worried he was about to do some harm to himself. he denies that ever happened. he says the gun didn't have any bullets. police say they did find bullets in it. apparently they worked it out. they didn't separate for the night after the fight. he retweeted that, hey, the valentine's table was set for a romantic dinner. a weird story. two very different sides. clearly some relationship issues there. quickly, apparently the

playboy mansion, we were talking about the respiratory epidemic, they have now reported by been targeted by the health department. they to want see what caused a respiratory epidemic following a party at heff's place. tmz says they sent out a survey to everyone at the party, trying to see what happened at the grotto. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll.

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here are some stories to watch today on abc news. members of the house discuss the final report on the financial crisis. the commissioners who investigated the banking disaster testify today on capitol hill. campbell's soup company managers announced a $10 million plan to help hungry and obese children today. the plan goes into action in cities where campbell's makes soup. and the final game between two "jeopardy!" champs and an ibm computer airs today. watson trounced the competition yesterday. >> go, humans. finally this half hour, there is a cat burglar on the

loose in california and it's been accused in about 600 break-ins. >> victims and authorities aren't too worried about the thief, though, because it really is a cat burglar. a cat. vick lee has more. >> reporter: meet dusty. by day he's a house pet. when the sun goes down, it's time to hit the streets. dusty is a cat burglar. >> so, she always steals stuff. >> reporter: neighbors like 5-year-old ethan know him by his alias, clepto the cat. >> well, she took my mom's swimming clothes. >> reporter: neighbors are on guard, but his victims don't intend to file police reports. >> no, we haven't, because we know where to go. >> i think those are for playing hockey. >> reporter: they go to jean and jim coleman's home. dusty belongs to them. in the past three years they figure he's stolen about 600 items. and he's not choosey. he'll take anything that's not locked down.

>> towels, gloves, shoes, socks, little toys, children's toys. >> reporter: this pair of shoes, which she took in two trips. even people's personal items. >> whities. we had some black ones, too. >> reporter: he especially likes bathing suits drying outside. he stole kelly's bikini bottom. >> and then came back about ten minutes later and took the top home. so, yeah, we know him very well. >> reporter: his m.o. is always the same -- he leaves home at night and returns with his loot in the early morning. the tv network animal planet recently installed a camera outside the house. it captured his nightly forays for a week. she says dusty's record take for one night is pretty amazing. >> one night how many? >> 11, 11 different things. >> reporter: it's getting dark now. the question is, which house will dusty hit? it's a purr-fect night for a heist. vick lee, abc news.

>> i'm -- willis asked the question, i thought it, too, how does he get in the house? producers thought maybe open windows or clothes line.